Mayor Bloomberg Bought a Custom $13,000 Copper Bathtub

24.70K

J.K. Trotter

08/12/13 03:10PM

Filed to: soak the rich

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire stop-and-frisk advocate who systemically faked riding the subway, plans to install a $13,300 copper bathtub in his Upper East Side townhouse. Agence France-Presse recently spoke with the coppersmith in northwest France whom Bloomberg personally commissioned to fabricate the metal vessel:

Skilled craftsmen in Normandy (northern France) spent 250 hours making the luxury tub to the billionaire businessman's exact specification, according to Etienne Dulin, the owner of the 200-year-old Atelier du Cuivre (Copper Workshop) in the town of Villedieu-les-Poeles.

Here is a copper bathtub, for some context:

Just imagine. Shhhh. Imagine. Imagine him soaking in it.

Dulin added (presumably in lilting French): “These days, those who have money are looking for ways to distinguish themselves from the crowd and we are virtually alone in the world in being able to deliver this kind of quality.”

(He also said a copper tub “kills bacteria,” in case you wanted to specifically contemplate the fact of the mayor steeping his privates in a dilute solution of copper.)

Don’t you see the signs? Virtually alone. A personal copper bathtub. And Mayor Mike himself, staring down the end of his elongated tenure. Maybe this is Bloomberg’s way of saying he’s feeling a bit lonely.

[AP, Flickr user Ta7za]

9

smurphette J.K. Trotter 08/12/13 03:41PM

I can't really feel that indignant. He worked hard, earned his money and is spending a tiny fraction of it on a bathtub. That million dollar rooms show has infinitely worse overspending. His role as mayor doesn't mean he can't spend his own cash or that he's obliged to feed all the homeless personally. It's what happens in a capitalist society. Some win and get copper bathtubs.

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J.K. Trotter smurphette 08/12/13 03:45PM

So you’re saying his tenure as New York mayor — during which he controlled a great deal of housing and shelter policy — was for...what, exactly? His own entertainment?

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LiberalInternationalism J.K. Trotter 08/12/13 04:22PM

Ummm....yeah, probably. Why else does someone who could have pretty much anything do anything? A mixture of narcissism and boredom, with a dash of genuinely wanting to make the city/world a better place mixed in.

Of all of Mayor Bloomberg's myriad dubious decisions, this purchase seems like one of the least offensive.

J.K. Trotter LiberalInternationalism 08/12/13 04:23PM

Fair, yeah.

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crispyduck14 J.K. Trotter 08/12/13 03:35PM

First of all Mr. Trotter, Fox News isn't the most reliable source of info when it comes to Democrats. Second, there is no way in hell a handmade copper bathtub cost $13k, more like $50k. I especially love how the author of the article you referenced (supposedly AFP, however their website doesn't have this article anywhere) has no fucking idea how much the damn thing actually cost, but instead just pulled $13k out of his ass based on 250 hours of skilled labor and apparently free copper.

I'm calling bullshit on this whole thing. And by the way, no one gives two shits about some rich guy doing stupid, douchebag things with his piles of money.

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J.K. Trotter crispyduck14 08/12/13 03:38PM

The article was written by Agence France-Presse. Not Fox News.

crispyduck14 J.K. Trotter 08/13/13 07:21AM

Prove it. No seriously, I know Fox is putting this on AFP, which I stated that in my comment. However, there is nothing on AFP's website about this at all. Not a thing.

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aydfd J.K. Trotter 08/12/13 03:25PM

Considering he's a billionaire in his own right, I'm not sure the righteous indignation of "look at these fat-cat politicians spending poor minorities' tax dollars" is warranted.

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J.K. Trotter aydfd 08/12/13 03:36PM

You may be forgetting when, earlier this year, Bloomberg forgot that homeless people exist in New York. Whose numbers have increased under his reign, due to a combination of feckless housing policies and bizarre attempts to require the indigent to supply proof of their own homelessness.

Meanwhile: $13,000 copper bathtubs.

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aydfd J.K. Trotter 08/12/13 04:04PM

Gaffes and poor policy aside, my main point is that Gawker seems to fallen into the habit of selectively writing post to provoke indignation and induce pageviews for posts that may not have any substance. See "Fruit (Discuss)" from last week.

This is why I prefer the newspaper. No pageviews there.

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OldCrowNut aydfd 08/12/13 04:07PM

"And that's why I've posted no less than three comments on Gawker within the last hour, on an article that I claim is frivolous."

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aydfd OldCrowNut 08/12/13 04:16PM

Welcome to the conversation OldCrowNut. Your input is MUCH APPRECIATED.

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Gawker J.K. Trotter 08/12/13 04:38PM

would you rather him hoard the money so that it never makes it into anyone else's hands?

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J.K. Trotter Gawker 08/12/13 04:40PM

I dunno, maybe donate it?

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Gawker J.K. Trotter 08/12/13 05:00PM

hahaha